Posted on 02/28/2006 9:17:43 AM PST by freebilly
Police say resident opened fire after finding masked suspect attacking wife
An armed man clad in black clothes and a ninja-style mask was shot dead in an upscale Healdsburg home Monday after he chased a woman into the house and was confronted by her husband, police said.
See story below
Lou Phillips, after being awakened by his wife's screams at about 7:30 a.m., rushed into the main hallway of their Sunset Drive home to find the intruder grasping the 64-year-old woman with one hand and holding a firearm in the other, police said.
Phillips, 68, fired three rounds from a .357-caliber Magnum handgun. It was unknown how many of the shots struck the masked intruder, who died in the hallway.
Police Chief Susan Jones said that in addition to the mask, the attacker wore black gloves, black pants and a black shirt.
The man had no identification but appeared to be white and 35 to 40 years old. Investigators were trying to confirm his identity Monday.
A source familiar with the investigation said the man was carrying restraints and a firearm that probably would not have been lethal if used.
Jones declined comment on that report.
"We don't know who this guy is. We don't know what the motive is," she said.
Healdsburg police were first notified of the shooting by an alarm company that reported an intruder inside the 2,452-square-foot house, which was sold in 2003 for $1.36 million, according to property records.
The contemporary country home sits high on Fitch Mountain east of Tayman Park Golf Course and has sweeping views of Healdsburg from the front porch.
It wasn't known Monday if the alarm was activated in panic mode or when Sandra Phillips had been chased inside by the man, police said.
Phillips had left the house early Monday to walk the couple's two Wheaton terrier dogs when the masked man jumped her near the garage, police said. She broke away and ran screaming into the house with the man in pursuit.
Jones said the .357 Magnum was registered in Lou Phillips' name. It was loaded with .38-caliber ammunition. She speculated that he had the weapon in the couple's bedroom and grabbed it before rushing to the hallway.
Sandra Phillips received treatment for a laceration on her head Monday at a hospital. Her husband, who was not injured, was interviewed by investigators.
Under state law, a homicide can be deemed justified if an intruder is in a home and intending to commit an "atrocious crime," including murder, rape or robbery, Assistant District Attorney Larry Scoufos said.
The homeowner has to believe that the danger is imminent and that use of deadly force is necessary to defend against that danger, Scoufos said.
A prosecutor with the district attorney's homicide unit was at the scene Monday assisting investigators, who worked throughout the day beneath a rainy sky.
A neighbor said the Phillipses lived quietly on the cul-de-sac and often were seen out walking their dogs, Berkeley and Zoe.
One of the dogs was missing late Monday, police said.
Diane Tolhurst, who has lived on the street for 14 years, said she feared the neighborhood's growing affluence may have been a factor in the attack.
"I'm alarmed, but I guess I'm not that surprised," she said. "Bad things follow money and this place has upgraded itself over and over again. I guess something is bound to happen no matter how careful you are."
Several homes in the neighborhood have signs for alarm companies on the front lawns. In addition to the alarm notification, police said Lou Phillips called 911 to report the shooting.
Jones said it's unclear how the intruder got to the house, which is at the end of a private drive near an unpaved fire trail closed off by a gate.
The trail connects with Hassett Lane, which leads to Fitch Mountain Road. Investigators searched for a vehicle or other possible mode of transportation but came away with nothing, Jones said.
She said she hoped the attack does not create a "panic" in Healdsburg, where violent crime is rare.
The shooting death was the city's first homicide since a 2-year-old boy died in 2004 after being left in a sweltering van outside his parent's home.
In 1990, a man was stabbed to death at a Healdsburg bar.
He shoots. He scores.
7:30am is an odd time for something like this to happen.
Empty? A toy? Huh?
sniff, sniff.....I just love a happy ending
He didn't expect them to resist.
The fake gun was for show long enough to restrain them, at which point he could do as he pleased, which did not include them getting out alive.
A story book ending. The good guys lived happily ever after. :)
they should prosecute the ignorant SOBS who think there was not an immediate danger
If it were a robbery.
This was something planned by someone intimately familiar with their habits, and robbery was not the motive, other than as cover.
Termination was the motive.
I caught that, too. Stupid comment. Must have been a water gun.
Happy ending, anyway. LOL.
A number of people we knew in the country had handled attempted break-ins with 00 buckshot or pistols.
See post #7. He was a moron, but I'm glad for the victims he was. Happy ending.
Yeah, knowing Healdsburg, there probably isn't anything particularly noteworthy about the house.
My daughter bought a 1300 sq ft house in Santa Rosa last year in a nice neighborhood (nothing fancy) for $550,000. It's just a 3bd/2ba on a 6000 sq ft corner lot and everyone says she got a great deal.....
On the other hand, last year my wife and I bought a 3/2 home an hour away in Clearlake on a 1/4 acre for $180,000....
Something is fishy about this whole story.
Agreed....
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